Holy Prophet Haggai in the Hymnography of the Orthodox Church

By Fr. George Dorbarakis

The Prophet Haggai was descended from the tribe of Levi. He was born in Babylon during the captivity of the Israelite people there (586–538 BC). While still young he came from Babylon to Jerusalem and prophesied together with the Prophet Zechariah for thirty-six years. The incarnation of Christ was foretold by him, four hundred and seventy years before His Birth, and he clearly prophesied the return of the people from captivity. He even saw part of the construction of the new Temple built by the Israelites who had returned. Upon his death he was buried near the priests, like them gloriously, for he too was of priestly lineage. He was very old, highly respected because of his age, widely known for his virtue, loved by all, and honored as a glorious and great prophet. His name is interpreted as ‘feast’ or ‘one who is celebrated.’

Homily for the Commemoration of the Holy Prophet Haggai (Fr. Daniel Sysoev)

Homily for the Commemoration of the Holy Prophet Haggai 

By Fr. Daniel Sysoev

In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit!

Haggai is one of the last prophets of the Old Testament. He began prophesying in the second year of the reign of Darius Hystaspes (520 BC). Haggai's three major prophecies make up the tenth book of the Twelve Minor Prophets. His speeches are addressed to the Jewish king Zerubbabel and the high priest Joshua, both of whom he met during his lifetime. He reproaches them for their inaction and encourages them to resume the restoration of the Jerusalem Temple, whose construction had been halted by Darius's predecessor due to accusations from the Samaritans. His book is devoted to the significance of the Temple and its worship. People often say that the most important thing is to believe in one's soul that the Temple is not in the logs, but in the ribs. It is precisely against such assertions that the Holy Spirit rises up and raises the Prophet Haggai.

Prologue in Sermons: December 16

One Should Not Judge Others and Boast About Oneself

December 16
 
(On How It Is Not Fitting To Judge Someone Who Sins)

By Archpriest Victor Guryev

We usually love to judge our neighbors and boast about ourselves. If someone sins in our presence, we immediately begin to cry out: "How will he answer before God? Woe to him! May he be cursed!" And if we ourselves have done something good, then immediately the pharisaical thought appears within us: "I am not like other men!" we say silently to ourselves.

The Incorrupt Relics of Saint Eleutherios in Nea Ionia

Saint Eleutherios of Illyricum, the early Christian martyr and bishop, is especially venerated in the Orthodox Church not only for his apostolic life and courageous martyrdom, but also for the incorrupt relics that God has granted as a sign of His grace resting upon the Saint.

According to Orthodox ecclesiastical tradition, the holy relics of Saint Eleutherios were preserved intact after his martyrdom in Rome and became a source of blessing and miracles for the faithful. From the earliest centuries, Christians gathered at his martyrion near the Xerolophos in Constantinople, where his synaxis was celebrated, venerating his body as a tangible witness to the sanctifying power of the Holy Spirit.

In Orthodox theology, the incorruption of a saint’s relics is not understood as an automatic or universal mark of sanctity, but as a particular gift of God. In the case of Saint Eleutherios, whose life was marked from youth by purity, ascetic struggle, and fullness of the Spirit, the incorruption of his relics was perceived by the Church as a confirmation of the holiness already manifest in his life and miracles. As the Apostle teaches, “your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit” (1 Cor. 6:19), and in the saints this truth is revealed even beyond death.

Holy Hieromartyr Eleutherios in the Hymnography of the Orthodox Church

By Fr. George Dorbarakis

Saint Eleutherios was from the city of Rome, very young in age, orphaned of his father, having only his mother, named Anthia, who had been catechized in the faith of Christ by the Holy Apostle Paul. By her he was brought to Bishop Aniketos, and from him the Saint learned the Sacred Scriptures, and he was also enrolled in the order of the clergy. In the fifteenth year of his age he was ordained a deacon, in the eighteenth a presbyter, and in his twentieth year he was appointed Bishop of Illyricum, having previously performed many miracles because of his great virtue.

But since by his teaching he was turning many to the faith of Christ, Emperor Hadrian sent for him and summoned him. And when he proclaimed before him that Christ is the God of all, the emperor gave orders to place him on a bronze bed and to light a great fire beneath it. Then he was to be placed upon a grate that had been exceedingly heated, and again into a red-hot pan filled with oil, tallow, and pitch. Yet by the grace and power of Christ he was preserved unharmed from all these things.